Recruitment, management, leadership, team work and individual Essay

Recruitment, management, leadership, team work and individual motivation - Essay Example Leaders and managers are assigned for the purpose of monitoring, controlling, judging and organizing the workforce using specific techniques. The most popular and effective technique to control and manage the workforce is to motivate them using motivational techniques. Motivating a team of workers and individuals in an organization would encourage them to work efficiently and enthusiastically. The overall objective of this paper is to assess the different methods of recruiting, selecting, managing, leading and motivating the workforce of any business (Sharma, 2000, pp. 76). Section 1 Recruitment of new staff members: An advertisement is given by a company to fill a vacancy for a floor supervisor in a factory of canned foods. The company will give an advertisement which would include the job description, requirements, person specifications and all the relevant information which is needed for an applicant to chose, apply and qualify for the job. The advertisement will be like the docum entation prepared below. Job Advertisement: Floor Supervisor-Production Floor Manufacturing Company Salary: $20,000 per annum, negotiable as per experience and qualifications. Date posted: 1-05-13 Closing date: 15-05-13 Contact: Steve Jones (Branch Manager) A manufacturing company is looking for a supervisor for their production floor. The supervisor will be the team leader, and will have a respectable position in the factory. The supervisor will be responsible for the work performance of the workers working under him on that floor. The workers with him will be a part of his team. The purpose of this job is to have a team leader that will guide and monitor the performance of the workers working in the production department, the supervisor will be answerable for the faults and errors seen in the production floor and will be given the authority to direct the workers in the best possible way. The person specification for this job is that the applicant must be a graduate because all the work with the machinery is technical and requires great skill. The applicant must have at least one year experience of working in a factory with machinery. The skills and attributes must be that of a good leader, must have good communication skills, and must be able to supervise effectively. The applicant must be physically active and need to be on feet during working hours. Overall the applicant must be friendly, honest, patient and responsible. Job Description: Description: Floor Supervisor Job Purpose: The purpose of this job is to have a team leader that will guide and monitor the performance of the workers working in the production department, the supervisor will be answerable for the faults and errors seen in the production floor and will be given the authority to direct the workers in the best possible way. Main duties: Monitoring the production process Responsible for labor attendants Allocation of the duties amongst the workers Job rotation of the workers Solving conflicts if any arise between workers Responsible for the individual development needs of the workers Reporting to the manager for any maintenance and repairs needed in the machinery Managing discipline on the production floor Training new workers Suitable applicants will be short listed for the interview. The candidate will be introduced to the managers and will be assessed on his confidence and body language. Impact of legal, regulatory and ethical considerations on recruitment and selection: The recruitment process

Emotional Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Emotional Intelligence Essay The article titled, The Emotional Intelligence of Leaders, written by Daniel Goleman, emphasizes on the emotional intelligence aspect of leadership and discusses various points regarding emotional intelligence in leaders and in people in general. There is a clear separation of raw intelligence technical expertise from that of emotional intelligence. It is explained that raw intelligence and technical expertise are the basic skills and capabilities required of a leader, but that emotional intelligence is the element that, combined with the basic skills, makes up a successful leader. It involves demonstrating qualities of the heart, in that leaders should be able to connect with people on a human level, in addition to possessing the basic leadership skills. Following the discussion of the anatomy of emotions, the article describes that there are five main elements of emotional intelligence that are explained in the article, including self-awareness, managing emotions, motivating others, showing empathy, and staying connected, which is then proceeded by a discussion of raising your EQ. In the discussion of the anatomy of emotions, the amygdala is said to be a structure in the limbic system that stores emotional memory and perceptions. Some of these memories can include being happy, sad, and angry. When a situation occurs, you go back to your emotional memory to process a response or reaction. The first main element of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. In terms of leadership, self-awareness is described as a capability that allows one to have and to practice self-confidence and self-assessment. Self-assessment allows you to pay attention and properly assess the natural feelings that occur when faced with situations or decisions as a leader. It is important for a leader to have these natural gut feelings and to appropriately process and incorporate these feelings into leadership decisions. In doing so, a leader will possess a sense of self-confidence in their actions and decision making. It is what gives a person the sense of gallantry in their leadership role. The second element of emotional intelligence is managing emotions, which is explained as the ability to deal with ones own stress and impulsivity,  especially in terms of anger, anxiety, and sadness. In doing so, one can pay more attention to situations and decisions that they are faced with as a leader, and less attention on the emotional disturbance that is faced with being rudderless in managing their emotions. By managing your emotions and practicing self-control, leaders can avoid poor decision making and will demonstrate improved leadership abilities. The next element described is motivating others, which involves management and leaders to be able to emotionally motivate and inspire others. Optimism is explained to be an important aspect of motivating others. It is said that the optimist can deal with setbacks better than the pessimist. In the event of a setback, an optimist leader would be able to overcome the issue and try again, learning from the setback and striving to push forward toward the goal or mission. Whereas the pessimist would give up, demonstrating a lack of ability to motivate their team. The ability to motivate others is a strong quality of emotional intelligence in leadership. Another element described in the article is showing empathy, which is the ability to read emotions of others, and again, connecting with people on a human level. Empathy shows your team a sense of connection and that you care about what they are feeling. Often, when empathy is not present, people can feel unappreciated and disconnected, leaving them overwhelmed and probably not at their best performance. It is crucial that leaders stay connected and in tune with their workforce. The last element is staying connected, which describes the ability to make and maintain a connection with your people. A leader should demonstrate a positive presence, and show their keenness and optimistic attitudes as this will reflect on their team and, most likely, will have a direct affect on how their workforce reacts. Expressing these kinds of emotions will surely have an influence on the team. Additionally, this will also contribute to the teams potential and performance, which is always a goal of a manager or leader. The final section of the article explains the ability to raise your EQ or  emotional intelligence. It is the qualities of the heart that make up ones emotional intelligence, and although much of it comes naturally, some can still be taught. It takes desire, dedication, and coaching to successfully increase your emotional intelligence. In summary, it is emotional intelligence and the ability to connect with people on a human level, including understanding peoples emotions as well as expressing your own in an appropriate leadership manner, that gives leaders the fully rounded skill set to effectively lead people. Leaders should certainly possess raw intelligence and technical expertise, but more importantly, they must know how to connect with their teams and stay in touch with their emotions, as well as demonstrate positive emotions themselves. Emotional intelligence is something that can be learned, but is also a human ability that can come naturally to many at a young age. Leaders, in any environment, should understand the importance of emotional intelligence and the effects that it has on themselves, their teams, and the overall performance within their groups. The article titled, Thought Leadership: a radical departure from traditional, positional leadership, written by Mitch McCrimmon, discusses the differences of shared or distributed leadership, leaderful organizations, and thought leadership, while focusing on thought leadership as a new and emerging leadership style that is shaped differently from the traditional positional leadership style. There are three main sections of the article, including new leadership, what is thought leadership, and the key characteristics of thought leadership. In discussing _the new leadership_ style of thought leadership, the article explains that, unlike leaderful organizations and shared leadership, thought leadership does not involve the traditional managerial roles that are identified as leaders. Rather, the thought leadership involves individual innovative employees that demonstrate an ability to challenge a current status or process and provide new ideas to better a project or an organization as a whole. The discussion of _what is thought leadership_ provides insight of the abilities of a thought leader, and describes some skills that thought leaders do not need to possess. A though leader has the abilities to advocate new ideas that merit attention, whether by corporate management, co-workers, customers, and even market industries. An individual possessing this type of leadership style can be thought of as innovative individual and a thinker. Thought leaders, however, do not need to possess the traditional positional managerial skills, and can even lack the typical leadership skills, such and motivational skills. In fact, thought leaders to not need to oversee projects, be decision-makers, or manage task execution. The new idea can be presented in discussion, argument, and by presentation. It is usually up to a hierarchical management team to actually execute the new idea. The final section consisted of the _key characteristics of thought leadership_, in which some key points are identified. Just to name a few, thought leadership does not always start with management and work downward. In fact, it can start with employees and move upward to a management level. It is not limited to internal sources, and can originate from external sources outside of an organization. Thought leadership is typically not tasked or identified as a position in an organization, but is a naturally organic ability. However, in most cases, it requires some ability to influence or convince people that the new idea will provide value. In summary, thought leadership differs from the traditional positional leadership, such as shared leadership and leaderful organizations, in that it does not require the typical managerial and leadership skills. It relies on individual innovativeness and the ability to convey your new ideas and convince that your ideas will provide value. Of the two articles summarized, I believe that the article on emotional intelligence was more convincing. I say this because the article on thought leadership was more informational and provided a different outlook on leadership styles and abilities, whereas the article on emotional intelligence pointed out a type of intelligence that is required to be a  good leader. Emotional intelligence allows us to connect with our emotions, and the emotions of our teams, which I believe is critical in almost any leadership role where a group of people report to one first-line leader. That one leader should be able to relate to the human senses that drive people, and motivate them as employees and people, as well as encourage them to excel. In my own personal experiences, I have seen an extreme lack of ability in leaders to connect with people and deal with emotions, whether their own emotions or their teams emotions. This has surely led to my perception of incompetence in these particular leaders. In one situation, I had a leader that I felt very fond of and very confident in their ability to lead, until one day they showed a moment of breaking down (actually crying in the office) and it left me feeling a poor sense of morale in the organization and the leadership at hand. I think the emotional display was unnecessary and should have been handled privately. In this case, the individual lacked the ability to manage their emotions. With respect to thought leadership, I have not had any prior introduction to the topic, but in reading and understanding the article, I believe that I possess some thought leadership abilities. I say this because I often offer new ideas to improve processes and operations. In my most recent job, I came on board and within two weeks, identified several areas that needed improvement and offered ideas to improve these processes. With approval from management, I began to execute these new processes. Understanding that it is not necessarily up the thought leader to actually execute, I was faced with a lack of resources and decided to take the initiative to fully execute. In comparison, I believe that emotional intelligence is required to be a good leader, and a thought leader is not required to be emotionally intelligent; however; emotional intelligence should be a quality of most leaders. As stated in the Thought Leadership article, emotional intelligence is not essential for thought leadership. () As both aspects of leadership are great abilities to possess, they are not both required to be any particular type of leader. Personally, I believe that as a thought leader can live in  anyone, it takes a special ability to be in touch with your emotions and the emotions of the team, an ability that I believe is especially crucial in leading people. REFERENCES: Goleman, D. (1998). The Emotional Intelligence of Leaders. _Leader to Leader_, (10), 20-26. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database. McCrimmon, M. (2005). Thought leadership: a radical departure from traditional, positional leadership. _Management Decision_, 43(7/8), 1064-1070. Retrieved October 22, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global.

The Nurse to Patient Ratio is Important Essay -- Nursing Essays

An English Nurse who laid the foundation for professional nursing, Florence Nightingale stated, â€Å"It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm.† Acute care facilities try to maintain low costs and employ quality nurses, making the nurse-to-patient ratio become more of an issue with patient care. Nearly every person’s health care experience involves the contribution of a registered nurse, and the effects of not having an appropriate nurse to patient minimum ratio affects not only the patient and nurse physically, medically, but also the hospital financially. Determining nurse-to-patient ratios is a difficult task with no single or definite solution and many variables exist to develop guidelines to cover every possible situation in an acute care facility. There are two boards of the state of Ohio that help with patient safety and keeping a safe workplace for the healthcare professional such a nurse. The first board is the Ohio board of Nursing, and the following is their description of what they are responsible for: The Board exists solely to enforce the law and rules regulating practice. The Board has authority to establish requirements individuals must meet to obtain a license or certificate to practice nursing or provide dialysis care in Ohio. The Board approves pre-licensure nursing education programs and dialysis training programs, oversees the licensure examination of nurses, and takes disciplinary action when a licensee or certificate holder violates the law. These activities help to assure that only qualified individuals provide care to the public. The Board does not exist to advance the interests of the nursing profession or dialysis t... ...s, C., & Hess, R. (2009). Registered Nurses' Perceptions of Nurse Staffing Ratios and New Hospital Payment Regulations. Nursing Economic$, 27(6), 372-376. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Costello, M. (2002). JCAHO workforce report says staff levels affect quality, safety. AHA News, 38(31), 1. Retrieved from Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition database. Garretson, S. (2004). Nurse to patient ratios in American health care. Nursing Standard, 19(14-16), 33-37. Griffiths, P. (2009). Staffing levels and patient outcomes. Nursing Management - UK, 16(6), 22-23. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Understanding Business Ethics

Explain the implications for the business and stakeholders of a business operating ethically. A stakeholder is a person, group, or organization that has direct or indirect stake in an organization because it can affect or be affected by the organization's actions, objectives, and policies. Key stakeholders in a business organization include creditors, customers, employees, government, owners, suppliers, unions and the community from which the business draws its resources. Tesco is committed to conducting business in an ethical and socially responsible manner. This relates to all aspects of their business, treating employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders in a fair and honest manner and ensuring that there are constant and open channels of communication. Tesco has Codes of Ethics for its employees, which includes a policy on the receipt of gifts and a grievance procedure that covers employment issues. Similar essay: How Does Tesco Communicate With Their Customers Tesco has a confidential telephone help line, Protector Line, for any employee who wishes to raise concerns relating to alleged criminal offences, failure to comply with legal obligations, miscarriages of justice, health and safety, damage to the environment and concealment of any of these issues. These are Tesco’s stakeholders: Customers: The employees hear customers' views on everything from how Tesco are serving them in their stores to their role in the community. Customers are looking to buy products; they are looking for a wide range of products. They also want easy accessibility to the premises and hope to buy quality products at competitive prices. They are really important because they provide the money for the store to be successful. Also an expanding amount of customers mean more profit for the business. Most customers expect fresh fruit and vegetables at high quality for good value. Employees: Employees gives Tesco their feedback through the Viewpoint staff survey, Staff Question Time sessions and their Staff Forum process. May want an increase in pay rise. Employees have a very big interest in Tesco; they have an interest in the business in the form of wages, bonuses, discounts, and holiday pensions. The business may be affected by how well their employees do in customer service. If a customer experiences poor customer service, it is more like that they will tell someone else that if they got a good customer service. Therefore employees need the right type of customer training in order to be successful to the business. Suppliers: Tesco’s core value is â€Å"treat people how we like to be treated†, and it's something they apply firmly to their supplier relationships. Suppliers stock the business with all its business supplies; if they are late then it causes conflict between business and suppliers. Therefore, it is vital that all the business supplies are on time. Suppliers are probably the third important part in a business, they provide the products and if they are not on time it poses a great threat to the financial state of a business. On the other hand, suppliers aren’t that important in decision making because they’re scared of losing their contract with Tesco. The main jobs of the suppliers are to sell fresh stock daily at market price. Investors: Tesco’s Investor Relations team regularly meet analysts from the financial institutions which invest in them or represent their shareholders. In contrast it may want a decrease in pay rise for their employees. The owners are probably one of the most important people in a business, they set rules. More importantly they expect repeat business profits and respectable customers.

Becoming an Effective Leader Essay

Learner name: Section 1: Understand own ability to fulfil key responsibilities of the leadership role. An evaluation of my own ability to use a range of leadership styles, in different situations and with different types of people, to fulfil the leadership role. There are in essence, four core leadership theory groups [1], which are: Trait theories, Behavioural theories, Contingency theories and Power and influence theories. Look more:  define research objectives essay I strongly believe that a leader must be adaptable to the situation and therefore prefer the Contingency theories. I shall therefore use two contingency theories to illustrate my ability to fulfil key responsibilities of my leadership role. I will use two contingency theories in my illustration. Hersey and Blanchard model The Hersey and Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory was created by Dr Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard in the mid-70’s. The fundamental basis of this theory is that there is no single ‘best’ leadership style and effective leaders have to adapt their styles depending upon the maturity level of delegates. So essentially the model rests on two fundamental concepts; leadership styles and the groups or individuals maturity level [2] . Hersey and Blanchard defines four Leadership Styles [3]: Telling (S1) – where the leader directs people what to do and how to do it. Selling (S2) – where the leader provides information and direction, selling the message to get people on board, and providing support. Participating (S3) – where the leader works with the team, sharing the decision making and responsibilities. Focus is more on relationship and less on direction. Delegating (S4) – where the leader passes most of the responsibility for a task onto the individual or group, only monitoring progress. S1 requires the most effort on the part of the leader which reduces through S2 and S3 to S4,  which requires the least effort. Style S4 therefore would enable the leader to deliver more for the same effort. However effectiveness of the individual or team will depend on their Maturity Level. Hersey and Blanchard also define four Maturity Levels: M1 – where people lack knowledge, skill or confidence to work independently, and require direction and prompts to progress the task. M2 – where people are willing to deliver but still lack the requisite skills for effective delivery of the task. M3 – where people are willing to deliver and have reasonable skill level but still require confidence to deliver effectively. M4 – where people have high skill and confidence levels and are able to work independently and are committed for successful delivery. The model maps each style to the appropriate maturity level. So a leader should identify the maturity level of his reports and use the most appropriate style to ensure most effective delivery of the task. The leader needs to provide a detailed level of direction and regular intervention to less mature team to compensate for the lower skill, motivation and confidence levels. In time the team will improve and will become a less burdensome leadership style. Accordingly, this model is suitable for developing a static team in the longer term. New members into the team will have to be assimilated in a planned way and there needs to be careful succession planning to ensure the maturity level of the team does not deteriorate. Adair’s Action Centred Leadership Model Adair’s theories encompass motivation theories by Maslow, Herzberg and Fayol and he was probably the first to demonstrate that leadership is a trainable, transferable skill, rather than it being an exclusively inborn ability. The model developed by John Adair in the 60’s and 70’s suggests [4] that a leader must: Achieve the task Develop the team, and Develop the individual The three elements are mutually dependant but are separately essential for an effective leadership role. He also defines certain key functions of a leader: Planning- information gathering, scope definition, objective setting Initiation- briefing, allocation, quality management Controlling – quality control, monitor progress, decision-making Supporting – individuals, team, encouragement Informing – communication, feedback Evaluating – assessment In many ways the Adair model is very similar to the Hersey and Blanchard model, particularly the emphasis on developing individuals and team. However the key focus is on the task, rather than developing the team per se. For this reason this model is particularly suited to a non-static team where teams are constructed for specific projects, rather than assigning the project to an existing team. Own ability to use the styles – Hersey-Blanchard model In 2004, I was requested by my then Head of Service to take on a severely broken team due to some significant issues. The team of six was responsible for managing and delivering the work of nearly 100 part time front line staff. It was headed by a senior team leader who had been in post for around 30 years and had moulded the team to her personal style. Anyone challenging the authority of the team leader was bullied mercilessly until they became compliant or simply left. The bullying even extended to life outside work. As a result of the approach, there was high turnover of staff and there was very little initiative amongst the remaining staff. Individuals were initially reported as being highly competent but later were blamed for things going wrong, shortly before they left. The team was very tightly knit and generally appeared supportive of the team leader. However the lack of initiative resulted in a team that would be classed as having maturity level M1 in the Hersey-Blanchard model and therefore resulted in the team leader having to deliver every task with a significant level of personal effort. Things came to a head when five staff left in quick succession, reporting similar issues in the newly introduced exit interviews. I was therefore asked to lead the team and make necessary improvements. Very quickly, I made an assessment of the maturity level of the team and came to the conclusion that the team required a great deal of direction to ensure tasks are delivered. I therefore took the decision to  move my desk to be amongst the failing team to enable me to direct the team more effectively. I would also be able to prevent any bullying and be able to penetrate the ‘closed shop’ of the team. The impact of this action was almost immediate as the team leader refused to cooperate and then went on sick leave when I insisted that she worked with me. With support from the other teams, I was able to support and reassure the dysfunctional team to improve their skill, competence and confidence levels. The task was made difficult by the fact that I had little technical expertise in the area. However, as I gained confidence of the existing staff, I was able to improve service delivery and the absent team leader realised that she was becoming less necessary. She returned and agreed to support me but I discovered attempts to undermine me and observed continued evidence of bullying. I therefore suspended her and commenced investigations by an independent solicitor. During the period of the investigations, I assessed that the team had moved from Hersey-Blanchards M1 maturity level to M2 maturity level. As a result, my life became easier and I was able to start implementing the structural changes that were necessary to improve performance. The investigations took about a year and resulted in dismissal of the original team leader as evidenc e of her actions became clear. The team slowly improved as each team member was empowered to carry out the tasks. The biggest impact was on recruitment and retention in that team, and also in the front line staff managed by them. Previously, we carried a vacancy rate of 35%, which all but disappeared and recruitment drives became oversubscribed. We were able to extend the scope of project delivery and increase targets, partly as a result of the reduced vacancy rate but also due to increased efficiency. By year 4, we were delivering almost four times the projects we used to with virtually the same establishment (albeit without a significant vacancy rate). We were by then identified as national leaders in that particular field and won several prestigious awards. I achieved the above by utilising Hersey-Blanchard model and investing a lot of personal effort and energy into the plan that I developed. To be clear, I did have a great deal of support from my superiors and other teams, but there was a lot of hard work. However, it was also a good development opportunity for me and very rewarding due to the reaction from my staff. Given the outcome described above I consider that I have successfully used  the Hersey and Blanchard model to fulfil the leadership role in managing and developing the team and therefore conclude that I have the ability to use this model in a constructive and appropriate way. Own ability to use the styles – Adair’s Action Centred model In 2010, I was asked to work on a  £133million project to build a new bridge over the River Wear. I worked with the Project Director to design the delivery team. There was three distinct phases to the project: 1. Developing the Business case/Funding 2. Detailed design 3. Construction The project was to be delivered by consultants embedded into the team, constituency of which would vary for the three phases. By necessity, we used the Adair’s model i.e. using a task-centric approach. As the Contracts Manager, my responsibility was to deliver the contract documents, manage the design phase and create a team for the construction phase. I planned how the work would be delivered, defining the scope and setting objectives for each workstream. The Consultants, based internationally delivered the scope to my specification and ensured all parties were aware if exactly what was required. I implemented a quality management system to ensure work was of adequate quality and held weekly meetings through teleconference to check on progress. Critical path analysis of the programme was of significant importance in ensuring delivery was on track. To ensure good communications, I chaired a monthly face-to-face meeting with key staff from all four Consultants when we were able to review and assess the work delivery. I also reassigned members of the team to other tasks for the construction phase to fully exploit the developed team and planned the expansion very carefully so as not to compromise the team dynamics. Unfortunately funding for the project was discontinued and I left for other roles before completion. The contract documents were produced aznd the detailed design was almost 85% complete however. I consider that the above demonstrates that I have successfully used Adairs Action Centred Model given that I have actively planned, initiated, controlled, supported, informed and to a great extent, evaluated tasks produced by the team. Although the project was not delivered due to a funding gap, the output nevertheless demonstrates my ability to use this model to fulfil the leadership role. As  a result of the foregoing, I am able to conclude that I have a developed ability to use a range of leadership styles to fulfil the leadership role. Use theories of emotional intelligence to review the effect of emotions on own and others’ performance. The theories of emotional intelligence that I will use for this task are Goleman [5] and Mayer and Salovey [6]. Mayer and Salovey Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer developed what is widely recognised as the first formal theory of emotional intelligence and carried out a detailed a review of then-existing literature on the subject in a paper published in 1990. They define Emotional Intelligence (EI) as â€Å"The ability to perceive emotion, integrate emotion to facilitate thought, understand emotions and to regulate emotions to promote personal growth.† They view emotions as sources of information to help one to understand and navigate the social environment to achieve performance improvement and conclude that individuals vary in their ability to process emotional information and how they relate emotional information to intelligence. They see certain adaptive behaviours amongst some people as evidence for the existence of this ability. The model claims that EI includes four types of abilities: The ability to perceive emotions – in faces, pictures and voices, including the ability to identify one†™s own emotions. Salovey and Mayer see this as a basic aspect of EI as it enables one to process all other EI information. The ability to use emotions – to facilitate other cognitive abilities, such as problem solving and thinking. The best EI person would be able to use this ability to enhance their performance in other cognitive tasks. The ability to understand emotions – this includes the ability to be sensitive to slight variations in emotions of self and others and also the ability to understand how emotions evolve over time. The ability to manage emotions – to regulate own emotion and that of others. Harnessing both positive and negative emotions and managing them to achieve the goals. Salovey and Mayer later collaborated with Caruso to develop [7] the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) based on a series of emotion-based problem-solving items. The model claims that EI is a type of intelligence, and is similar to the ability-based IQ tests. By testing a person’s abilities on each of the four branches of  emotional intelligence, it generates scores for each of the branches as well as a total score. Because EI requires individuals to be in tune with social norms, the MSCEIT is scored in a consensus fashion, with higher scores indicating higher overlap between one’s answers and those provided by the control sample. The MSCEIT can also be expert-scored, so that the amount of overlap is calculated between one’s answers and those provided by a group of emotion researchers. Although promoted as an ability test, the MSCEIT is unlike standard IQ tests in that its items do not have objectively correct responses. Among other challenges, the consensus scoring criterion means that it is impossible to create questions that only a minority of respondents can solve, because, by definition, responses are deemed emotionally â€Å"intelligent† only if the majority of the sample has endorsed them. Also this is likely to then lead to stereotyping and cultural bias. Organisations using them could therefore be at risk of being in breach of equalities legislation, albeit unintentionally or indirectly. The model has therefore been criticised for lacking predictability and there has been questions whether EI is really a genuine intelligence factor. In a study by Fà ¸llesdal [8] , the MSCEIT test results of 111 business leaders were compared with how their employees described their leader. It was found that there were no correlation between the test results and how the leader was rated by the employees, with regard to empathy, ability to motivate, and leader effectiveness. Goleman Goleman discusses Emotional Quotient (EQ) and sets out two key aspects of intelligence as having the ability to understand self (goals, intentions, responses, behaviour) and the ability to understand others and their feelings. He identifies five ‘domains’ of EQ, which are: Knowing own emotions. Managing own emotions. Motivating self. Recognising and understanding other people’s emotions. Managing relationships, i.e., managing the emotions of others. By developing our own Emotional Intelligence in these five EQ domains, we can become more effective at what we do, and achieve the best from our reports. This would  also reduce stress, by decreasing conflict, improving relationships and understanding, and help in succession planning. Goleman sets out the framework within which to EI competence could be improved and identifies two areas where this is to be achieved; personal and social competencies. Goleman and Cherniss have jointly produced a paper [11] for The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations identifying 22 guidelines which represent the best current knowledge relating to the promotion of EQ in the workplace, summarised as: Paving the way assess the organization’s needs assessing the individual delivering assessments with care maximising learning choice encouraging participation linking goals and personal values adjusting individual expectations assessing readiness and motivation for EQ development Doing the work of change foster relationships between EQ trainers and learners self-directed change and learning setting goals breaking goals down into achievable steps providing opportunities for practice give feedback using experiential methods build in support use models and examples encourage insight and self-awareness Encourage transfer and maintenance of change (sustainable change) encourage application of new learning in jobs develop organizational culture that supports learning Evaluating the change – did it work? evaluate individual and organizational effect Cary Cherniss expands on this [12] and sets out the research demonstrating that someone’s ability to perceive, identify, and manage emotion provides the basis for the kinds of social and emotional competencies that are important for success in almost any job. Furthermore, as the pace of change increases and pressures on existing resources makes ever greater demands from us, this particular set of abilities will become increasingly important. Leaders therefore need to use emotional intelligence to improve both productivity and well-being of our staff. The criticism and research indicating EI not to be a ‘proper’ intelligence mainly relate to objectivity of the premise, inability to use it as a predictive tool and its use as selection criteria. EI nevertheless remains a very useful tool in the armoury of a leader in order to motivate and achieve better outcomes for tasks. Care however needs to be taken to ensure cultural differences are considered when using techniques identified in the EI models. Effect of Emotion on Performance I have had experience of an individual; Richard, who was unable to manage his own emotions, as described by Mayer and Salovey. He would perform quite adequately under most circumstances; however if some of the technical work he was carrying out was contrary to his view, he would slowly build up resentment. For example I used to assign him tasks to investigate and implement accident reduction measures. He would suggest some solution, and if I decided not to take his advice and required him to implement a different solution, his output would reduce and he would take almost twice as long to deliver the desired outcome. Over time, this resentment would build up until he reacted with a disproportionate level of anger to some instruction, manifesting as shouting in an open office and walking off in a huff. I have had discussions with him about this approach during his ‘calm’ periods and he described a ‘red mist’ descending that he was unable to control. Mayer and Salovey’s theory helped me understand that Richard did not have the ability to use, understand or manage his own emotions and this had a devastating impact on his performance, not only for the instances when he disagreed with any decision that did not accord with his own, but also because others around him felt he was somewhat ‘unstable’ and were wary of working with him. Which also had significant adverse impact on Richards performance, acting like a vicious cycle where the more he failed to deliver adequately, the more he received criticism and pressure which in turn  affected him emotionally and reduced his output. Improving his performance was a very difficult preposition and I sought help of HR and arranged counselling and support. However I never did feel that Richard was performing to his full potential for the period I managed him, although there was some improvement. This was a clear example of how performance can be adversely affected by a fa ilure to manage ones emotions as described by Meyer and Salovey. I understand that my own performance is also significantly affected by my own emotions. I have on occasion felt annoyed or even angry due to some action or inaction by colleagues. Conversely, I have often felt compelled to go the extra mile to deliver excellence for a colleague or Manager who gives me praise in the correct manner. Golemans framework has helped me to appreciate that emotions can have both a positive and negative impact on performance and that EI can be used to improve performance. Upon reflection on occasions that I have become annoyed, I have come to realise that there has inevitable been a negative impact on my performance, either due to lack of enthusiasm to perform or as a result of lack of cooperation from others who might had noticed my annoyance. For example within the last few months, I was severely criticised for failing to grasp the nettle with respect to managing my revenue budget by a superior officer. His approach was pre-planned and was clearly bullying behaviour. He did not assess the situation adequately, jumping to inappropriate conclusion about my ability, based on a preconceived view about what the cause of the problem was, when the problem was really a systemic problem with the way we allocate incurred costs to projects. The problem had been ongoing since 2004 when a new financial system was implemented with inadequate verification, resulting in greater and greater errors. His solution, which had been implemented in previous years had the effect of masking the issue period on period and still caused chaos at financial year end with apparent losses having to be covered by other parts of the business The superior officer seemed to think I should have been able to resolve the issue within one month, as he had done previously and sprung a surprise verbal mauling of me in the presence of one of our more senior finance officers, for effect and to demonstrate his superiority over me. Whilst I had an action plan to identify the error before I even considered a solution, I needed several periods of financial data to work on. My guiding  principle had been that if we continue the same way, we should expect the same outcome. This clearly rankled with the superior officer as the ‘way’ that I was abandoning was actually devised by him. The verbal mauling however had a profound effect on me, due to my emotional reaction. I felt unable to trust my superior and reduced my output down to almost nil for a short period. I also chose to avoid contact with my superior as I did not like being abused. I lost all enthusiasm and motivation. It was a discussion with the senior finance officer and au understanding of Golemans theory that helped me pull myself out of this stupor and refocus my emotions to achieve balance. I therefore try to actively use Goleman’s framework to manage my own emotions to minimise the negative impact of inappropriate emotions. I am also starting to manage my own emotions to tap into the performance enhancing effect that positive emotions can have. Using the framework of planning, changing, maintaining and evaluating my emotional reaction to various external factors and turning it into a positive force will continue to take conscious effort on my part but I am certain over time this will become second nature to me and help improve my performance significantly. In summary, my experience has demonstrated clearly that emotions generally has significant effect on performance, either for the better or for worse, and the theories detailed above can help in understanding and managing this. With practice, these theories can help me tap into the beneficial potential of EI for myself and my reports. Review own ability to set direction and communicate this to others In order to set direction and communicate this effectively, I follow a four step process, to clarify exactly what is desired, to understand the needs and motivation of my staff, to select the appropriate method of communication and finally to monitor and evaluate my effectiveness in order to improve. To clarify my objectives, I would need to understand exactly what we are seeking to achieve. For example, in a recent situation, we were concerned that we could be exposed to litigation due to the way we manage our trade waste. Essentially, we were failing to manage hazardous waste in the manner prescribed by Environment Agency (EA) regulations. Some staff were very concerned as there is a personal liability and wanted to seek external contractors at inflated prices to discharge the duties on our behalf. Instead, I requested an officer to look into the technical process involved and then armed with the report, I sought the help of EA. It transpires that we are not directly in breach but one of our contractors may have moved our waste to an unlicensed location, without our knowledge. I established that we are unable to transfer risk simply by engaging contractors and needed to develop a management plan to deal with the waste in the short, medium and long term. In discussion with EA, I established that they would support us and allow us a period to ‘set our house in order’. We are now in the process of writing the plan, after having clarified exactly what our objectives had to be. Any form of communication will most unlikely to be effective if it doesn’t ring chord with the audience. The audience will not care of the success or otherwise of any task if they don’t have a stake in the outcome. An effective leader must be able to engage the audience in such a wa y that each person has a vested personal interest in the success of any venture which will spur them to go that extra mile to ensure success. This could be something as simple a personal pride in a job well done or a competitive streak to do a better job than someone else. In one of my depots, there is exactly such a situation involving two of my best Construction Managers. They are very good friends who take delight in outperforming each other and achieve far better output than any similar team in the Council or externally. This did not happen by chance but was the culmination of slow work with both officers over a period, using humour and camaraderie to instil a friendly sense of competition. In the example above, I also actively sought the appropriate means of communication, i.e. using interpersonal skills and utilising humour, to set the parameters of the objectives I was seeking to achieve. The method I decided to use would not have been at all effective if I wrote an email or memorandum as my aim was far too subtle to communicate via a written medium. However, in cases where compliance with health and safety regulati ons are concerned for example, I consider it necessary to send out formal instructions to ensure staff complied. Such action would make it clear exactly what was required without any ambiguity. Apart from communicating the requirement, this would also provide me with an auditable trail if any staff member was found not to comply; which would also be one of my key objectives. Using a more formal means of communication when I generally prefer informal means, also has the  effect of underlining the legal obligation we have to my staff, who then take it more seriously. The ability to set direction and communication is closely linked to motivation theory and persuasive skills. The model I find most aligns with my style is Monroe’s Motivated sequence [13]. Alan Monroe developed this technique in the 30’s and identifies that in order to persuade or sell any concept, idea or product, one’s approach should include five separate steps: Attention – relate something that will make the audience take notice. This could be anything shocking or enticing to the target, such as a st atistic, an image or a thought. So in the case with managing our hazardous waste for example, I highlighted that failure to properly manage the waste could result in criminal prosecution, which had the desired effect of bringing this issue to fore in the mind of my staff. Need – link the topic under discussion to the needs to the audience, the premise being that the need will motivate the desired action. This aspect is particularly important because it is unlikely that most people will take action unless they are directly affected by the impact. For the example of the two construction Managers in competition with each other, I used techniques I observed in the mobile telephone sales and replicated the principles. I created a view in the mind of both staff that they needed to outperform each other for the sake of personal pride. I knew they were good friends and by various means encouraged the friendly rivalry, taking care to ensure that this remains friendly and does not become counter-productive. They both feel that they have to outdo each other and their performance continues to exceed expectations. Satisfaction – set out how the audience will be able to satisfy that need that has been established. It is important that the effort to ac hieve the need is presented as the easiest or least painful option. Once I created the need for both my Construction Mangers to outperform each other, I have continued to provide them with the means and resources to achieve this, both by providing support, finding the funding and also creating temporary positions and approving ‘acting up’ honorariums for their reports. So they both have the means to easily deliver their ‘need’ and not delivering when they are able to is now much the more difficult option from a personal pride perspective, as they will have to explain in my regular joint performance monitoring. Visualisation – set out how life would be like if the target were to commit to action.  Using the example of the Hazardous waste issue, I painted a picture of what the situation would be like if we were able to turn the usable material. There is a process whereby the hazardous waste can be encapsulated in asphalt using a cold process (a hot process would release volatile compounds which would not be acceptable ). Encapsulation would render the material inert and this could then be used to construct new roads. The marginal cost of converting this hazardous material into useful product is less than 35% of the cost of purchasing new product but there is a large capital investment (c  £500k) required for the plant. Nevertheless, I outlined a business case supported by the demand that will be generated by a new road due to be constructed in 2015. I therefore helped my staff visualise the savings we could make and the asset we would have after the new road is constructed, giving us even more savings in the long term. I have therefore got their active cooperation to achieve my vision and have managed to turn what was initially a burden and cost, to an opportunity by using the most effective communication and set direction. Action – finally, once the stage is set, the audience need to be shown how they could act to achieve all the positive benefits of doing the thing that is being promoted. In the case of the hazardous waste, business case is now being detailed with the aim of a capital investment in the next few months. I am managing the project and my staff are in detailed negotiations with various suppliers and industry experts to enable the vision to turn into reality. Currently we are negotiating land purchase to site the plant and storage requirements. As with every other process, it is important then to review and evaluate previous actions to enable the leader to ensure improvement in the future. For both the issues detailed above, I have my own evaluation processes established. For the competition between the Construction Managers, I am aware thing could get too far and friendly rivalry could quickly degenerate. I have therefore got regular meetings with both staff, jointly and individually for me to monitor, evaluate and review my actions. I am aware no one likes to be manipulated and things could backfire on me if they felt I was in any way underhand or devious. So, I informed both staff of my actions in a jovial and convivial way and the communication style I have used has been effective in both accepting and even embracing my manipulation. For the management of Hazardous waste issue, I have also put  in a small review group who monitor and evaluate the progress and we discuss the need to change our approach as we become aware of new developments in the field. Given the above, it is my view that I have a well-established and positive ability to set direction and communicate this effectively to others. Review own ability to motivate, delegate and empower others A leader must be able to delegate tasks effectively in order to achieve more than what he could on his own. Along with that, he must be able to motivate and empower others in order to ensure his management burden is optimised to enable him to manage more resources. That is the essence of leadership. Without this ability, he is merely a depository for tasks and does not add value to his organisation. In brief, motivation is the process of finding out what makes your staff ‘tick’ and demonstrate they can meet that need by delivering for you. In this respect there is much in common with style of communication described above and this is due to the fact that effective communication must take make is desirous for the recipient to deliver the task communicated. Monore’s Motivated Sequence, as the name suggests, is a motivational theory but there are a number of other theories, detailing much the same process, albeit in a different way. The two I will focus on are Maslow’s Need Hierarchy and Equity theory. Maslow describes a hierarchy of needs of each individual, which forms a pyramid, also known as Maslow’s Pyramid of needs. At the base of the pyramid is the basic Physiological needs we all have (i.e. access to air, food water etc.). Then comes the need for Safety (shelter, security), above that comes Social needs or Love/Belonging needs (company, acceptance, friendship etc.). Above that comes the Esteem needs (Recognition from others) and on top of the pyramid is Self-Actualisation (self-fulfilment, morality, creativity). Diagram below shows this pyramid: Fig 1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs[14] In essence, what Maslow suggests is that people will need to satisfy their more basic needs before they can begin to satisfy a higher level need. In order to motivate them, it would be necessary to demonstrate how they could satisfy their needs at the appropriate level on the pyramid by achieving the goal. In a work situation, appropriate compensation will help satisfy the  lower order needs on the pyramid and little motivational benefit could be derived from focussing of satisfying the Physiological and Safety needs of staff. In order to motivate staff, it will be necessary to demonstrate how achieving the organisational goal or the task at hand will help meet one of the higher level needs on the pyramid (i.e. the need for social acceptance, of increased esteem or of self-actualisation). To do this effectively, it will be necessary for a leader to identify where on the pyramid the reports needs are. Generally the personal circumstances and ambition of the individual will determine which of his needs have already been satisfied and which need should the leader demonstrate as being achievable. The equity theory postulates that if people perceive inequity, they will try to equalise the situation and eliminate that inequity. It is a social comparison of an individual’s perception that drives an individual. They compare themselves against others and make an assessment whether the reward they are achieving for the effort they are expending is similar to the reward others get for the effort they expend. So individuals make a broad assessment of their own perceived reward/effort ratio and compare it to the perceived reward/effort ratio of others. Individual are generally satisfied when the two ratios are generally equal. However, this leads to two different scenarios when it is not: Underpayment inequity – when an individual feels they are underpaid for the effort they put in compared to another. The impact of this would be either the individual reduce their effort, productivity or quality of their work to match their perception of what the comparator produces. Overpayment inequity – when an individual feels they are actually overpaid for he work they produce, in which case they expend m ore effort in an attempt to increase outputs or improve the quality of their work. The situation most often manifests itself when staff compare their pay grades, but other rewards, such as praise, mentoring, training etc. could also be used in their comparison. Leaders need to be acutely aware of the situation as a perceived Underpayment inequity can have a devastating impact on productivity and also on the ability to retain staff, unless managed adequately. On the other hand, a perception of Overpayment inequity, although can seem to have benefits, can lead to an overly stressful situation for the individual concerned as they may feel their post will be made redundant or reduced in grade. Own ability to  motivate – Monroe’s Sequence and Maslow’s Hierarchy I have had cause to use both the theories above in motivating my staff. In the example given previously where I set two Construction Managers in friendly competition with each other I used Monroe’s Sequence to develop the strategy. In determining the need, I used Maslow’s Hierarchy to understand the most effective way to approach this. I understood the two individuals were already highly effective and motivated individuals and general discussions with them led me to believe that both would be seeking to satisfy their need to greater esteem. I therefore developed a strategy where I would enable both of them to achieve greater self-esteem whilst improving their outputs and performance. The most gratifying thing is that even though both now are aware of my manipulation, the rivalry continues and is still paying dividends. Own ability to motivate – Equity Theory I am currently dealing with a situation where my Construction Managers are rewarded at Band 9, which is the same as my Quantity Surveyors (QS’s). However, I would assess that the Construction Managers (CM’s) achieve several times more value from their work. They also carry greater responsibility and much greater workload. This has come about as a result of implementing â€Å"equal pay† legislation using a very ineffective evaluation model. The model tries to find equity between too many different types of work and fails miserably in the case of construction activities. There is also the issue of required qualifications of each group and my ability to recruit to these positions. I am currently reassessing the workload of the QS’s and trying to make it more equitable by rebalancing workload. However in the meantime, I have asked the CM’s to identify workstreams that may be suitable to be reallocated. I have also given the CM’s more access to me and have more frequent contact with them, ostensibly to address work issues, but also as a form of â€Å"reward† as there is a tendency for staff to seek some form of approval and praise from their leaders. I am aware though that the QS’s might be excessively stressed and I will have to reassure them. In the short-term this approach has proven to be effective in maintaining morale and motivation and has prevented from loss of staff. I will however need to deliver the implied promise to equalise the burden on both these groups. As  a result of the above I am able to conclude that I have a well-developed ability to motivate staff, based on the relevant theories outlined. Delegation and Empowerment Delegation and empowerment is the act of transferring responsibility to subordinates for delivering a task and ensuring they have the authority, resources and the means of achieving the desired outcomes. Effective delegation and empowerment will result in several key benefits: A leader can achieve more than he could individually Workforce will be more involved and feel empowered which will have a positive effect on productivity, and have a stake in outcomes Delivery will be more efficient Develop subordinates which will help with succession planning Although a leader may make his subordinates accountable for their actions, the leader will continue to be accountable for the completion of the task to his own superiors. There are therefore risks involved in delegating and often a leader will find it difficult to ‘let go’ of projects that are dear to them. There will therefore be a tendency on the part of the leader to use the excuse of accountability to avoid delegating. I have had direct experience of this when some years ago a newly appointed Director decided that he would personally sign all letters emanating from one particular service area. This is because that service area was primarily customer facing and was engaged in managing an ever decreasing ability to deliver due to funding cuts. The team, which I was part of, therefore continually had to say â€Å"no† and this caused political difficulties for the Director. Instead of managing expectati ons, he decided to stop delegating. The result was he had very little time for the task of signing letters, let alone anything else. After some years of this, we had a situation where thousands of service requests remained unanswered, some over four years old. Despite our pleadings, he refused to delegate the work and eventually more senior people reorganised the Department, making the Director redundant. As a consequence of the above, I have learned that I must delegate in a timely manner. To manage the risks outlined above, I always ensure my subordinates are motivated, have adequate resources and the ability to deliver. I also  maintain the constant vigil, both from a project/programme management perspective and also from a financial perspective, ensuring regular monitoring and identifying barriers to work with my staff to ensure delivery. As a result of this approach I have so far, this financial year, successfully delivered some  £14million worth of projects, making some  £3.5million income, of which  £300,000 is surplus. We are on course to deliver the full  £19million programme and make a surplus of some  £850,000 over an income of  £5.4million. Compared to the position two years ago when the service made losses of some  £900,000, my position is a much improved one. The single most skill that has enabled me to achieve such turnaround is my ability to delegate and empower my staff. I am therefore highly confident that I have a well-developed ability to delegate and empower others. Produce a Personal Development Plan to improve own ability to lead. In spite of the above, and perhaps as a result, I feel I will need to constantly develop myself. It is my contention that continuous learning will enable us to achieve continuous improvement. Key issues for me are: Reviewing the above, I feel I have not yet mastered the art of managing my own and others’ emotions to achieve performance improvement. I need to understand better the workings of Local Government to identify areas where my leadership skills need to be improved. In conjunction with the above, I believe I need to improve my ability to set direction and communicate. Emotional Intelligence In completing this assignment, this is one area where I have learned the most. I had been aware of issues surrounding cultural bias in psychometric testing because of my personal interest in equalities issues. The work researching Emotional Intelligence has cast the issue that with issue of equalities. It seems to me that any process designed to value conformity with the majority (which the concept of Emotional Intelligence undoubtedly is), is doomed to discriminate minority groups or those with a different cultural approach. However I recognise that EI remains a very useful tool in the armoury of any leader wishing to improve performance. Actions: Complete this ILM course by December 2014 and seek funding for furthering my education to MBA level Cost:Direct – funded centrally, no cost to service Indirect – 1 day per fortnight cost to be absorbed by service overhead allowance for training and development Leadership Issues in Local Government This is particularly relevant to my field and it is necessary for me to keep abreast of the developing issues surrounding Leadership in Local Government. Several journals are dedicated to latest developments in the sector, including The MJ and The Economist to a lesser extent. Actions: Seek out a mentor within the industry by December 2014. Continue to read relevant periodicals – ongoing. Cost:Direct – no cost to service Indirect – carried out in personal time, no cost to service. Set direction and communicating I have a reasonably well developed personal communicating style, and my written communication is also of reasonable quality. The area I most need to work on is my communication to groups. Actions: Use the opportunity provided by my Chairmanship of North East Performance Improvement Network to practice and develop my ability to direct and communicate to groups. Cost:Direct – no cost to service Indirect – As part of normal day to day duties, travel and time costs covered by capital projects Review and monitor I will review my achievement against these objectives on a six-monthly basis to effect improvement and amend aims and objectives as necessary. Cost:Direct – no cost to service Indirect – 2 hours every fortnight, cost to be absorbed by service overhead allowance for training and development. Bibliography 1 ‘Core Leadership Theories’, MindTools (2013). Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/leadership-theories.htm (accessed 22/10/2013). 2 ‘Situational Leadership Theory’, Wikipedia (2013). Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory (accessed 04/11/2013). 3 ‘The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory’, MindTools (2013). Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_44.htm (accessed 22/10/2013) 4 ‘Action Centred Leadrship’, Businessballs.com (2013). Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/action.htm (accessed 04/11/2013) 5 Goleman, D., ‘Leadership that gets results’, Harvard Business Review (March-April 2000) 6 Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1989)., ‘Emotional intelligence’, Imagination, Cognition and Personality 9(3), 185-211 7 Mayer, J.D., Salovey, P., Caruso, D.R., & Sitarenios, G. (2003), ‘Measuring emotional intelligence with the MSCEIT V2.0’, Emotion, 3, 97-105 8 Fà ¸llesdal, H – PhD Thesis and accompanying papers, University of Oslo 2008, ‘Emotional Intelligence as Ability: Assessing the Construct Validity of Scores from the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT)’, Available at: http://www.psykologi.uio.no/studier/drpsych/disputaser/follesdal_summary.html (accessed 01/11/2013). 9 Goleman, D. (1995), ‘Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ’, Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-38371-3 10 ‘Emotional Intelligence’, Businessballs.com (2013). Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/eq.htm (accessed 01/11/2013) 11 Goleman, D. and Cherniss, C., ‘Guidelines for Best Practice’, The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations (www.eiconsortium.o rg), Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/emotionalintelligencebestpractice.pdf (accessed 01/11/2013). 12 Cherniss, C (2000), ‘Emotional Intelligence: what is it and why it matters’, Annual Meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA, April 15, 2000 13 ‘Monroe’s Motivated Sequence’, Changing minds.org, Available at: http://changingminds.org/techniques/general/overall/monroe_sequence.htm (accessed 01/11/2013). 14 Figure.1. [Diagram] At: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow’s_hierarchy_of_needs (Accessed on 16.01.14). 15 Maslow, A.H. (1943).A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–96. Retrieved from http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm (Accessed on 16.01.14).

The Definition of Public Relations

The Definition of Public Relations Free Online Research Papers The task of defining Public Relations is difficult because the scope of work is different as it pertains to a particular organization or individual, and the responsibilities vary. As well, the PR industry refers to relations or dealings with the public, but publics can vary as well. Through segmentation, publics can be defined or classified as various types. PR often refers to the â€Å"buzz† surrounding an individual or organization. When the entity is talked about, it becomes recognized, and public opinion begins to formulate. Definitions throughout the years have tried to capture all the PR entails. What makes defining PR challenging is that it is a relatively new industry, in terms of being recognized in a corporate environment. As well, technological advancements and legislation has affected PR in the last few decades, therefore changing the scope of duties from a PR professional. Though many have attempted to define PR, the one commonality among all definitions is that it refers to the influence of public opinion. Here is a look at three definitions, and a personal definition of Public Relations. Though the definition dates back to around 1923, one current definition is stated, according to Fraser Seitel (2004) as: Public relations is a planned process to influence public opinion, through sound character and proper performance, based on mutually satisfactory two-way communication.† Similarly, to describe a PR professional, â€Å"public relations practitioner is a manager/orchestrator/producer/director/writer/arranger and all-around general communications counsel to management. It is for this reason, then, that the process works best when the public relations director reports to the CEO. (p.10) The first definition, listed by Seitel, seems to provide a modern, accurate description of what PR encompasses. Breaking it down, Seitel mentions it is a â€Å"planned process.† This means the work done behind the scenes in preparation for any PR efforts. This refers to the communication with management, stakeholders, employees, customers, political groups, and all publics. By gathering this information, the PR professional is armed with the appropriate information to represent an organization effectively. Going further, â€Å"to influence public opinion.† This fragment clearly describes the essence of PR, which is an effort to change, modify, or influence a publics attitudes and thoughts that will turn into behaviors and actions. The purpose of including the second part of the definition by Seitel, in which he describes the PR professional, is to further show what roles are included in PR. The person or persons truly serve as an overall communications counselor or entity in that they are consistently forming and maintaining relationships, writing, researching, managing, creating, and searching for opportunities to communicate with their various publics. The job does not focus on one particular skill, rather, requires multiple skills and characteristics for success in influencing public opinion. The official statement adopted by the PRSA Assembly (November, 1982) states that: â€Å"Public relations helps our complex, pluralistic society to reach decisions and function more effectively by contributing to mutual understanding among groups and institutions. It serves to bring private and public policies into harmony.† The PRSA, like Seitel, mentions the importance of two-way communication with publics by using the phrase â€Å"mutual understanding.† The official statement mentions the complexity of society and gently describes that again, PR is to influence public opinion, but takes the definition a step further by pointing out that PR should pointedly assist the public in reaching decisions and not just shape the decisions. As well, the statement implies that without PR, society’s public opinion would not function as effectively and harmoniously. The statement continues by mentioning the various organizations that need PR. Also, organizations must be able to effectively influence public opinion in order to meet their goals. The Council of Public Relations Firms (Eggerston, 2006) says: â€Å"In their service to clients, public relations firms play a vital role in encouraging public discourse. The professionalism and objectivity of our firms helps clients engage in that discourse, and clients turn to us for our counsel and assistance to vigorously pursue their organizational goals in educating or persuading audiences that matter most to them.† In the third definition, again, influencing public opinion is made known in this definition, and in the first sentence. The softer word, encourage, however is used. This particular definition stresses the importance of professionalism and objectivity. A lack of objectivity could be seen as fraudulent activity, thus producing a PR nightmare. It is imperative to maintain objectivity, flexibility, and admit humility when necessary. Publics respond well to facts. Facts are used to persuade public opinion. Therefore, maintaining objectivity in line with facts is often a successful way to maintain positive public opinion. This particular definition reflects how professionalism can certainly influence public opinion. Given the research and definitions reviewed, a personal definition would be: â€Å"Public Relations is the creation, management, and maintenance of communicating with various publics to establish and promote two-way communication, and aid in the persuasion of positive public opinion towards an organization or individual. Objectivity, professionalism, and understanding societal differences is the key to assisting the influence of a public’s opinion and society as a whole.† The personal definition mentions PR’s overall goal – to influence public opinion. However, this definition lists the methods and responsibilities in doing such. As well, the definition states that there are, in fact, different publics as well as society in general without being too specific or convoluted. Though the definition of PR has evolved over the past 100 years, and the methods of delivery have changed, the overall message remains the same. If there was no effort to influence public opinion, PR would not exist. However, for centuries have various governments, organizations, and individuals used PR to communicate with their publics to achieve certain goals, yet they may not have given their efforts the formal Public Relations term. In this modern day, and especially in this high tech, fast-paced society, does it become increasingly important to keep the â€Å"buzz† generated so that organizations and individuals can rise above the noise. Research Papers on The Definition of Public RelationsThe Project Managment Office SystemPETSTEL analysis of IndiaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalStandardized TestingUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfResearch Process Part OneThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Elephants in Entertainment

Elephants in Entertainment Introduction Although mankind did coexist with wildlife since time immemorial there has been change in trend in how the two associate. There are cases in which animals from the wild have been captured and trained for entertainment purposes (Kregerk 93).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Elephants in Entertainment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is worth noting that despite the fact that people feel entertained by circuses that entail animals especially elephants, they know very little or completely nothing about the suffering the animal under go during captivity and training. This paper thus seeks to critically bring forth how they are captured from the wild and the impact of cruel treatment they receive and the deplorable condition in which they inhabit. Training of elephants in circus and their effects It is worth noting that majority of elephants taken for training is juveniles who are taken from the wild. Shock ingly, poachers go to an extent of killing their mothers so that they can have control of these young majestic animals. Having in mind that these animals have strong social bound, effective communication systems, ability to mourn their dead and a wide habitat range, confining them to small cages is inhuman and cruel to such animals. The physical beating, shocking and whipping elephants receive during training so that they perform during circus are inflicted with unbearable pain (Alward 124) There are cases where young elephants and physically disabled or even die from injuries associated with the beatings. Additionally being restricted in confined cages denies elephants the opportunity to exercise their roaming freedom. On the same note, in captivity they are not allowed to mingle with other. Being highly social animals, this make them stressed up. Interestingly, when individual elephants are separated for long, their family ties are torn apart. In cases where some are given birth t o while in captivity, there are limited chances of them being released back to the wild; and if that could happen individual would definitely have very limited chances of surviving in the wild. According to Alward 79 there are also chances that individuals in captivity will interbreed. The negative implication of this scenario is that the population in the long run will lack genetic diversity and may be serious impacted in future. For instance bring forth individuals that are not well suited in coping with the existing conditions. Lastly, the deplorable conditions which they are subjected to such as being left in the sun, sleeping on their waste make them prone to suffering from diseases such as foot and mouth, joint diseases causing premature deaths of those in captivity.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ethos and Logos On the other hand, there are individuals wh o see nothing wrong when using animals especially elephants in entertaining people. It is claimed that their culture is what makes them do what they are doing. Additionally, such activities they say help them mark certain important historical event in their lives. It is actually a form of cultural identity. Another argument in support of elephant in circus is that it helps in enhancing the conservation of the endangered species. However, considering the treatment they receive, opponents are left with unanswered question with regards to conservation initiatives (Jaynes par. 4). The amount of money generated from such entertainment shows as circus in which elephants are used to perform certain unusual tricks have also been used to justify the case. Conclusion From the review of elephants in circus, there are indeed issues of concern that need to be addressed. Asian elephants that are used in such entertainment activities are in fact threatened and their population declining at a pace that replenishing cannot match. The brutal treatment they are subjected to as well as confinement work against efforts of conserving these majestic social animals. Although culture and monetary value derived from the activity can be used to justify the while thing, there is need for Americans to rethink their views on such wild animals. Alward, Lori. Why circuses are unsuited to elephants. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. Print. Jaynes, Mike. How Circus Elephants Are Abused by Their Trainers, 2011 viewed on https://www.thoughtco.com/how-circus-elephants-are-sometimes-abused-127647 Kregerk, Michael. Canvas to concrete: Elephants and the circus-zoo relationship. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Elephants in Entertainment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Linus Pauling Biography

Linus Pauling Biography Linus Carl Pauling  (February 28, 1901 – August 19, 1994)  was the only person to receive two unshared Nobel Prizes- for Chemistry in 1954 and for Peace in 1962. Pauling published over 1200 books and papers on a wide variety of topics, but is best known for his work in the fields of quantum chemistry and biochemistry. Early Years Linus Pauling was the oldest child of Herman Henry William Pauling and Lucy Isabelle Darling. In 1904, the family moved to Oswego, Orgeon, where Herman opened a drugstore. In 1905, the Pauling family  moved to Condon, Oregon. Herman Pauling died in 1910 of a perforated ulcer, leaving Lucy to care for Linus and his sisters Lucile and Pauline. Pauling had a friend (Lloyd Jeffress, who became an acoustic scientist and psychology professor)   who owned a chemistry kit. Linus attributed his interest in becoming a chemist to early experiments Jeffress performed when the boys were both 13. At age 15, Linus entered Oregon Agricultural College (later to become Oregon State University), but he was lacking the history requirements for a high school diploma. Washington High School awarded Pauling a high school diploma 45 years later, after he had won the Nobel Prize. Pauling worked while in college to help support his mother. He met his future wide, Ava Helen Miller, while working as a teaching assistant for a home economics chemistry course. In 1922, Pauling graduated from Oregon Agricultural College with a degree in chemical engineering. He enrolled as a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, studying crystal structure analysis using X-ray diffraction under Richard Tolman and Roscoe Dickinson. In 1925, he received a Ph.D. in physical chemistry and mathematical physics, graduating summa cum laude. In 1926, Pauling traveled to Europe under a Guggenheim Fellowship, to study under physicists  Erwin Schrà ¶dinger, Arnold Sommerfeld, and Niels Bohr. Career Highlights Pauling studied and published in numerous fields, including chemistry, metallurgy, mineralogy, medicine, and politics. He applied quantum mechanics to explain the formation of chemical bonds. He established the electronegativity scale to predict covalent and ionic bonding. To explain covalent bonding, he proposed bond resonance and bond-orbital hybridization. The final three decades of Paulings research career focused on health and physiology. In 1934, he explored the magnetic properties of hemoglobin and how antigens and antibodies function in immunity. In 1940 he proposed a hand-in-glove model of molecular complements, which applied not only to serology, but also paved the way for Watson and Cricks description of DNA structure. He identified sickle cell anemia as a molecular disease, leading to human genome research. In World War II, Pauling invented missile propellants and an explosive named linusite. He developed synthetic blood plasma for battlefield use. He invented an oxygen meter to monitor air quality in planes and submarines that was later applied for surgery and infant incubators. Pauling proposed a molecular theory for how general anesthesia works. Pauling was an outspoken opponent to nuclear tests and arms. This led to revocation of his passport, as international travel was deemed by the State Department  to be  not in the best interests of the United States. His passport was reinstated when he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. For the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences cited Paulings work on the nature of the chemical bond, his studies of the structure of crystals and molecules, and description of protein structure (specifically the alpha helix). Pauling used his fame as a laureate to further social activism. He  applied scientific data to describe how radioactive fallout would increase cancer and birth defect rates. October 10, 1963 was the day it was announced Linus Pauling would be awarded the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize and also the day the limited test ban on nuclear weapons (U.S., U.S.S.R., Great Britain) went into effect. Notable Awards Linus Pauling received many honors and awards throughout his distinguished career. Among the most notable: 1931 - Irving Langmuir Award1947 - Davy Medal1954 - Nobel Prize in Chemistry1962 - Nobel Peace Prize1967 - Roebling Medal1968-69 - Lenin Peace Prize1974 - National Medal of Science1977 - Lomonosov Gold Medal1979 - NAS Award in Chemical Sciences1984 - Priestley Medal1989 - Vannevar Bush Award Legacy Pauling died at his home in Big Sur, California of prostate cancer at the age of 93 on August 19, 1994. Although a grave marker was placed in Oswego Pioneer Cemetery in Lake Oswego Oregon, his and his wifes ashes were not buried there until 2005. Linus and Lucy had four children: Linus Jr., Peter, Linda, and Crellin. They had 15 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. Linus Pauling is remembered as the father of molecular biology and one of the founders of quantum chemistry. His concepts of electronegativity and electron orbital hybridization are taught in modern chemistry.

Problem Based Learning in Medical Education Essay

Problem Based Learning in Medical Education - Essay Example The problem based learning technique is based on adult learning theory, according to which the human absorbing capabilities can be enhanced by juggling their minds and concepts, which can be achieve by giving them a chance to handle and discuss problems. Furthermore, the students are encouraged to mark their own learning goals, the scope of goals get broaden with experience problematic situations, the decision making capabilities can be improved by implementation of program based learning, the decision making activities further enhance their learning, and their critical and analytical approach towards the problem. Although Problem Based Learning is innovative and effectual exercise, 'however PBL does not offer a universal panacea for teaching and learning in medicine, and it has several well recognized disadvantages' (Diana F Wood., ABC of learning and teaching in medicine: Problem based learning). It has been observed that those students who have learned through problem based activi ties have better knowledge retention.

WorldCom Case study (summary assignment) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WorldCom Case study (summary assignment) - Essay Example In 1995, it was renamed as WorldCom with ambitious plans for global expansion. In1996 it made efforts to acquire MCI, a much larger telecom company which was finally realized in 1998. By 1999, it was 14th largest firm in US. The failed bid for Sprint, large telecoms provider in USA also started the downfall of WorldCom. The large number of acquisitions and mergers were not integrated within the broader culture of WorldCom. Consequently steady increase of complaints and lawsuits necessitated giving millions of dollars in penalties, refund and payments by WorldCom. This opened Pandora box which exposed manipulation of books and financial irregularities by Ebbers and other directors and amounting to billions of dollars of hard earned money of the investors and shareholders. The share price of $62 in 1999 fell to 7 cents in 2002. Over payment on sales commission, inflated cash flow of nearly 4 billion and false corporate book keeping led to nearly $30 billion in debt and finally to its bankruptcy. All its major directors were found guilty. In 2004, it emerged from bankruptcy as MCI with credible board

Article critique Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Critique - Article Example The aim of this article is to highlight how the endoscopic method can help in identification and treatment of sub-gingival calculus. Although the endoscopic technique is viewed as an efficient device in periodontal disease, it has some shortcomings that cannot be ignored. For example, the results of Michaud et al. showed that the endoscope does not give any benefit in root planning and scaling procedures in tooth rootedness (Osborn et al., 2014). The technology of periodontal endoscopic has provided a solution to various problems associated with ordinary detection of calculus, and gives an option in the clinical setting. The technology enables the sub-gingival video image to be exhibited on a proximate detector. As stated by Osborn et al. (2014), the image can be magnified 24x to 48x their real size, relying on the position of the lens and the object under observation (p.230). The article demonstrates how the device can be used for a clear view of sub-gingival calculus. The research was a clinical experiment. It was conducted to compare results of periodontal with and without the help of periscope in patients with periodontitis sites. The statistics were analyzed in a descriptive way of standard and mean deviation. The results were scrutinized to permit differentiation of 11-12 ODU explorer calculus and periscope. The level of calculus was examined utilizing the Endoscopic Calculus Index that was developed by Checchi et al. (p.231). In order to preserve the similarity in calculus indices, the tactile calculus detection using 11-12ODU explorer, employed a revised version of the index. The patients were given two appointments; six and eight-week re-evaluation sessions. The findings proved that the periscope detected many sites that could not be revealed by the explorer. The results of endoscopic revealed a decrease in surface area of the calculus compared to tactile explorer alone. Moreover, the endoscope made it easier

Corporate Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Corporate Finance - Essay Example TSR is defined as a measure that helps in evaluating the performance of different company’s shares and stocks over the passage of time. It takes into account appreciation of share price and payment of dividends in order to show the total shareholder’s return and is expressed as percentage. It is calculated after considering capital gain, which is accrued after purchase of company’s share. In calculating TSR, it is assumed that the dividends are reinvested in the company shares (Rexam Plc, 2014b). Through calculation of TSR, the performance of share is compared over the period of time. This is the main advantage of calculating TSR as it shows the exact position of the share even if it has high growth and low dividend or low growth and high dividend. After collecting relevant information from the annual reports of the two companies mentioned above, TSR is calculated. The information needed for the same are share price at the end and beginning of the year along with the dividend that are paid out to the shareholders. This information has helped to calculate the TSR of the companies, which are provided in the following table (Rexam Plc, 2014a): The above table reflects the change or fluctuation in the value of TSR over the 7 years. It is observed that the TSR value of Rexam Plc has increased over the years from a negative value since 2007. During the period 2007-2009, the company was unable to maintain a positive TSR mainly due to its poor performance in the industry, which occurred mainly due to the insufficient sales. However, positive TSR after 2009 indicates that the company has improved its share price performance, which is the result of increase in sales. Presently, the company has satisfied customers by offering them with good return and higher dividends, which are reinvested in company shares that are issued for them. From the above table it is evident that GSK has encountered

Legal and Ethical Issues in American Criminal Justice Assignment

Legal and Ethical Issues in American Criminal Justice - Assignment Example This paper highlights that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became constitutional, courtesy of the Supreme Court in 2012. Some of the elements of the act have been causing ethical issues among citizens, companies and religious institutions. As a result of the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, guidelines pertaining to the requirements of the Act were directed to states, employers, insurance providing companies and consumers. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will be aiming at achieving various goals. In general, the Act sought to pose control on the costs of healthcare, achieve prevention of adverse health conditions and add on the list of health issues that medical covers provided. As the essay declares insurance companies could not deny providing cover to clients on pre-existing conditions, and many people became eligible for Medicaid. However, when the Court decision allowed for implementation of the act, there arose opposing views. These views were as a result of various religious beliefs among people and differing health priorities. For instance, controversy arose because of the priorities of Americans in terms of the health care goals that they saw to be fundamental in contradiction with different beliefs and values among citizens. It is evident from the views put forward by various groups that Americans would like to choose the kind of health care that they want to receive, from whom they would like to receive such care and when to receive it.

Corporate Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Corporate Finance - Essay Example TSR is defined as a measure that helps in evaluating the performance of different company’s shares and stocks over the passage of time. It takes into account appreciation of share price and payment of dividends in order to show the total shareholder’s return and is expressed as percentage. It is calculated after considering capital gain, which is accrued after purchase of company’s share. In calculating TSR, it is assumed that the dividends are reinvested in the company shares (Rexam Plc, 2014b). Through calculation of TSR, the performance of share is compared over the period of time. This is the main advantage of calculating TSR as it shows the exact position of the share even if it has high growth and low dividend or low growth and high dividend. After collecting relevant information from the annual reports of the two companies mentioned above, TSR is calculated. The information needed for the same are share price at the end and beginning of the year along with the dividend that are paid out to the shareholders. This information has helped to calculate the TSR of the companies, which are provided in the following table (Rexam Plc, 2014a): The above table reflects the change or fluctuation in the value of TSR over the 7 years. It is observed that the TSR value of Rexam Plc has increased over the years from a negative value since 2007. During the period 2007-2009, the company was unable to maintain a positive TSR mainly due to its poor performance in the industry, which occurred mainly due to the insufficient sales. However, positive TSR after 2009 indicates that the company has improved its share price performance, which is the result of increase in sales. Presently, the company has satisfied customers by offering them with good return and higher dividends, which are reinvested in company shares that are issued for them. From the above table it is evident that GSK has encountered

Assignment 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assignment 9 - Essay Example He brings his personal experiences and concerns while working at General Motors Assembly line. We are bound to understand him better as he uses his voice to bring out the actual nature of activities and also to let us know the real account of issues as they are. This leads us into taking a position that would not have been possible if such a case was historical in totality. Moreover, he exhibits a different working setting where someone can evade tasks assigned to him or her without eminent consequences, thus delegating the same to another person at the expense of that party. The interests of a person should not be a priority over those of the entire organization. One should strive to provide the best effort for the benefit of the organization and personal utility. For example, Hamper would skive his duties by teaming up with another person, ‘’double up’’ hence when that person did both working, he would hover around in the industry or even reading. Having the ability to do whatever he wants, Hamper jeopardizes the activities of GM as no one seems to care what happens regardless of the expectations. This way he puts personal interests first at the expense of the organization. He seems more interested at how well he can spend time outside the assembly line forgetting that he is duty bound to deliver. The working environment doesn’t seem to favor his bid to have an enjoyable stay. Discipline is also a key to any successful entity. This stipulates and thus lays a framework of how employees should carry out themselves since this is the source from which the external environment paints a general picture of the organization. The common effort of everyone is therefore called to task. In his book, Hamper fails to display any of these as he operates at his will to any direction he feels like. On one hand, the organization ought to institute penalty programs that must be applied judiciously to those who fail to attain the discipline thre shold and on the other hand ensure that the common effort is safeguarded. Moreover, General Motors offers the best state of affairs however according to the author he uses various diversions in order kill boredom and monotony of work. He also never tries to change the situation although the work unions are never harsh to negotiate with. The unions seems to be selective and discriminatory since the writer, apart from managing in his own way, finds it even easier to maneuver his way through them. These serve to give him more room to work uninterrupted even when things don’t seem to work well. The work environment today poses a great challenge to those entrusted with responsibility since one has to deliver to the stakeholders and other interested parties. This entails the account of every single resource used in the verge of the operations of the organizations. The same will enable match efforts utilized with the results realized. The working milieu seems relaxed and without cle ar cut strategies and rules all of which tend to cover rights and specific duties of employees. These regulations have to be adhered to with strictness if the company has to realize its goals of his and thus objectives. The foregoing is not a true account of what happens at GM. ‘Rivethead’ displays a work environment where one person works for two therefore giving room for the other one to be away for a couple of hours. The author, in an attempt to forget all his tribulations in the assembly line